On May 4, 2018, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat
Mirziyoyev had a telephone conversation with the President of the Republic of
Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev.

During the conversation, the heads
of states discussed current issues of further expansion and strengthening
Uzbekistan – Kazakhstan multifaceted cooperation in the context of implementing
agreements reached at the highest level.

It was noted with deep satisfaction
that the potential of relations of friendship, good-neighborliness and
strategic partnership between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of
Kazakhstan is being fully realized due to political will and mutual support.

It was emphasized that the achieved
high level of cooperation is a model of interaction between the two fraternal
countries and people.

In a short period, breakthrough
results were achieved in all areas. 2018 is declared as the Year of Uzbekistan
in Kazakhstan for the first time in the history of bilateral relations, the
solemn opening of which was held on March 15 in Astana.

Mutually beneficial cooperation in
trade-economic, investment, energy and transport-communication spheres is
developing dynamically. The trade turnover is steadily growing, cooperation
projects are being implemented in various sectors of the economy.

Contacts between regions and at the
business level have been intensified. Flights frequency, road and rail
transportation volumes has increased, bus service has been resumed.
Cultural-humanitarian and tourist exchanges are expanding.

In this regard, practical results of
activity of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Bilateral Cooperation,
which is an effective mechanism for promoting joint projects and programs, were
noted.

During the conversation, special
attention was paid to issues of development of good-neighborly relations
between the Central Asian countries. Fruitful results of the first Summit of
the Heads of States of the region, held in March this year in Astana, were
emphasized with satisfaction.

The Presidents of the two countries
also exchanged views on a number of current issues of international policy and
regional cooperation.

In conclusion, the President of the
Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the President of the Republic of
Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev confirmed their firm determination to expand
multifaceted cooperation and strengthen the centuries-old ties of friendship
and partnership in the interests of the two fraternal countries and people.

On May 4, 2018, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat
Mirziyoyev received the First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of
Kazakhstan, co-chairman of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on bilateral
cooperation Askar Mamin.

Welcoming the guest, the Head of the
state noted the effective activity of Uzbekistan – Kazakhstan Intergovernmental
Commission and expressed satisfaction with practical results of its activities.

The Commission, headed by the First
Deputy Prime Ministers of the two countries, has so far held 17 meetings,
including the last one – in March this year in Astana. On May 4, Tashkent
hosted working negotiations of the co-chairmen of the commission.

At the meeting, the President of the
Republic of Uzbekistan emphasized the importance of further expanding mutually
beneficial cooperation and joint implementation of promising projects and
programs in trade-economic, investment, transport-communication, humanitarian
and other spheres.

Askar Mamin expressed deep gratitude
to the Head of the state for the warm welcome and confirmed the readiness of
Kazakhstan to further develop and strengthen full-scale partnership between the
two fraternal countries in order to unconditionally and timely implement the
agreements at the highest level.

The badge will be awarded to representatives of public organizations and
initiative citizens who have made a worthy contribution to the development of
the non-governmental non-profit sector in the country, for the activity and
achievements, the results of which have had a significant impact on the
formation and development of civil society.

Uzbekistan will establish a badge
"for contribution to the development of civil society". This was
approved by the presidential decree "On measures to radically improve the
role of civil society institutions in the process of democratic renewal of the
country" dated May 4, 2018.

The badge will be awarded to
representatives of public organizations and initiative citizens who have made a
worthy contribution to the development of the non-governmental non-profit
sector in the country, for the activity and achievements, the results of which
have had a significant impact on the formation and development of civil
society.

A plant for the production of medicinal insulin has begun to operate in
the village of Khortum, Andijan region. The factory’s manufacturing capacity is
10 million insulin bottles a year.

It covers an area of 1.5 hectares
and is the only one in Central Asia that specializes in the production of
insulin used to treat diabetes mellitus.

The construction works were carried
out by a private construction and installation group with support from a
company called Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries. At the plant Zamin Bio Health,
equipped with advanced technologies, the employees were provided with all
conditions for effective activity, large-scale works were undertaken on the
improvement of its area.

“This enterprise was erected with
financial support from the Andijan branch of our bank,” says Sardor
Normuhamedov, chairman of the board of the joint-stock Trustbank. “A loan of 14
billion soums(currency rates of CB RU from 07.05.2018, 1$= 8059.24 soums) was allocated for the construction
and purchase of imported technologies. This will help expand production of
import-substituting goods and create new jobs.”

Hitherto, insulin is imported into
our country. With the launch of the plant, the import of this medicine will
diminish, the hard currency will be saved, the cost price of the medicine will
go down.

The plant, with a total project cost
exceeding 28 billion soums, has installed equipment and technologies from
Germany, France, Switzerland, China and India. All processes for the production
of qualitative insulin at the level of international requirements have been
completed.

“The enterprise’s capacity is the
production of 10 million vials of insulin a year,” says Avazbek Nizomov, head
of Zamin Bio Health. “30% of production will be directed to meet the needs of
the domestic market, while the rest, that is, annual output worth $ 2 million,
will be exported to Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and other countries.”

With the commissioning of the plant,
100 people are provided with permanent work. More than 20 of them are
vocational college graduates.

On May 4, 2018, the Minister of
Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Kamilov met with the
delegation of the U.S. Department of State, led by Deputy Assistant Secretary
of Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA) Henry Ensher, in Dushanbe.

During the conversation, certain aspects of Uzbekistan – U.S.
cooperation in various fields and forthcoming bilateral contacts were
discussed.

The sides also exchanged views on some issues of international and
regional policy in the context of the agenda of the International Conference
"Countering terrorism and preventing violent extremism" in
Tajikistan.

On May 4, 2018 Minister of Foreign
Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Kamilov, who is taking part in
the International Conference "Countering terrorism and preventing violent
extremism" (Dushanbe, May 3-4, 2018), met with the Minister of State for
External Affairs of the Republic of India, Mobashar Jawed Akbar.

Practical aspects of Uzbekistan – India cooperation, first of all the
course of preparation for the forthcoming state visit of the President of
Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to India, were discussed in the conversation.

The sides exchanged views on concrete mechanisms of interaction within
the framework of implementation of the Tashkent Declaration adopted on March
27, 2018 following the results of the high-level international conference on
Afghanistan "Peace process, security cooperation and regional
connectivity".

At the meeting, current issues on the agenda of the meeting of the
Council of Heads of the SCO member states, in which the Indian side will
participate for the first time as a full member of the organization, were also
considered.

On May 4, 2018, the Minister of
Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Kamilov met with the
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Hekmat Khalil Karzai, in Dushanbe.

During the discussion of issues of Uzbekistan – Afghanistan agenda, the
sides focused on prospects for development of cooperation in political,
trade-economic, investment, transport-communication and other spheres,
implementation of joint projects.

At the meeting, proposals on cooperation within the framework of
implementation of tasks defined by the Tashkent Declaration following the
results of the high-level international conference on Afghanistan "Peace
process, security cooperation and regional connectivity", held on March
26-27, 2018, were also considered.

On May 4, 2018, the Minister of
Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Kamilov met with the
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan Sirojidin Aslov
within the framework of participation in the International Conference "Countering
terrorism and preventing violent extremism", in Dushanbe.

The sides discussed the current state and prospects of further
development of bilateral ties in the context of implementing the agreements
reached at Uzbekistan – Tajikistan summit, in March.

As it was emphasized, the first state visit of the President of
Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Tajikistan, its results became really
historical and opened a new page in relations between the two countries and
people.

At the meeting, the ministers also exchanged views on some international
and regional issues.

On May 4, 2018, the Minister of
Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Kamilov met with the
Under-Secretary-General of the UN Counter-Terrorism Office Vladimir Voronkov,
within the framework of the International Conference "Countering terrorism
and preventing violent extremism" (Dushanbe, May 3-4, 2018).

The sides exchanged views on the state and prospects for strengthening
Uzbekistan's cooperation with the UN Counter-Terrorism Directorate within the
framework of expanding cooperation with the organization and its specialized
institutions.

Current issues of implementing large-scale initiatives of the President
of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, with which he addressed the 72nd session of
the UN General Assembly in September 2017, were discussed.

The delegation of the Republic of
Uzbekistan led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulaziz Kamilov took part
in the International High-Level Conference "Countering terrorism and
preventing violent extremism" (Dushanbe, May 3-4, 2018), which was
conducted by the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan in cooperation with
the United Nations, OSCE and the European Union.

At the conference, issues of countering terrorism and preventing violent
extremism were discussed, as well as views were exchanged in determining
further steps of cooperation in this area.

In the speech of the head of Uzbekistan’s delegation, the main attention
was paid to the initiatives of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the issues of
countering the extremist-terrorist threat, forwarded at the 72nd session of the
UN General Assembly, other international events, as well as Uzbekistan's
experience in solving this problem.

Head of department at the Institute for Strategic and Interregional
Research under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Bahrom Sotiboldiev,
believes that Turkey, member of G20, can serve as a good example for Uzbekistan
in terms of economic development.

- The Uzbek and Turkish peoples have
for a long time been linked via friendly and fraternal ties, common traditions,
language and culture. Developed industry, transport communications, sea routes,
agriculture, tourist potential, huge experience of statehood of Turkey are very
important for Uzbekistan.

Turkey is in the G20, can serve as a
worthwhile example in the level of economic development. In the country’s
economy, the share of industry is 28%, agriculture - 15%, construction - 6%,
services - 51%. In the total volume of industrial production, the processing
industry has the highest share. Today small business and private entrepreneurship
make a significant contribution to the production of industrial goods.
Well-developed are textile, food, mining, chemical, pharmaceutical, energy,
metallurgy, shipbuilding, automotive industries and the manufacturing of
electrical household goods. One of the fastest growing areas is tourism.

The study of the achievements of
Turkey in these sectors, the use of advanced experience of this country in the
implementation of reforms, modernization of the economy, as well as the
involvement of Turkish entrepreneurs and companies in the projects implemented
in Uzbekistan fully meet the interests of our country.

In turn, Uzbekistan occupies an
important place in Turkey’s policy in the region. Our country today is one of
the key partners of Ankara in Central Asia. Uzbekistan attracts Turkey as a
huge market, moving along the path of economic liberalization, a favorable
investment climate, with its historical cities, sacred places of pilgrimage.
Hence, both sides are interested in strengthening cooperation.

Relations between Uzbekistan and
Turkey are consistently developing, and the trend of positive growth is
noticeable in all spheres. About 500 Turkish companies and firms operate in our
country today. In 2016 the volume of trade turnover between our countries was $
1.2 billion, then in the first nine months of 2017 it increased by 29%. Last
year alone, with the participation of investments of entrepreneurs from Turkey,
more than 20 enterprises were organized, 53 representative offices of 53
companies of this country are accredited. These figures clearly indicate the
great prospects of Uzbek-Turkish relations.

In recent years, a new page has been
opened in relations between our countries. Indicative of this is the number of
meetings between Presidents Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In
particular, the latter’s visit to Samarkand in November 2016, the meeting of
the heads of two states in May 2017 in Beijing at the forum “One Belt, One
Road”, at the Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Science and
Technology in Astana in early September that year, as well as at the 72nd
session of the UN General Assembly on September 20 of the same year.

The state visit of the President of
the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Turkey on 25-26 October 2017
became a logical continuation of this dialogue. During the visit, issues of
cooperation between our two nations in the political, trade-economic,
investment, transport and communication spheres, agriculture, transport,
tourism, science and others were discussed in detail.

As a result of the negotiations,
more than 20 documents were signed between Uzbekistan and Turkey relating to
various areas. A special place among them is the Joint Statement signed by the
Presidents.

During the visit, the head of our
state drew attention to the inter-parliamentary ties between the two countries.
During his visit to the Turkish Grand National Assembly, he got acquainted with
its activities, stressed the need to strengthen inter-parliamentary relations,
exchange of experience on lawmaking issues, forms of parliamentary control.

During the visit to Istanbul, a
forum was organized with representatives of financial and business circles of
the two countries, where agreements were signed for more than 30 projects worth
$ 3.5 billion aimed at building large energy facilities, road infrastructure,
organizing modern industrial and logistics centers in food and agro-industrial
spheres, production of textile, electrical products, building materials.

The head of our state Shavkat
Mirziyoyev noted that the agreement reached to bring the volume of trade
between our countries in the coming years to $ 3-4 billion opens wide
opportunities for entrepreneurs of the two countries.

The visit of the President of Turkey
Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Uzbekistan served to raise the relations between our
countries to an even higher level. The inked documents and reached agreements
will undoubtedly help bolster the friendship between our fraternal peoples.

The educational center for training
Afghan citizens at the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Special Education of
the Republic of Uzbekistan held a solemn ceremony of meeting a group of youth
who came from a neighboring state to gain knowledge, in Termez, Surkhandarya
region.

Tashkent International High-Level Conference on Afghanistan "Peace
process, security cooperation and regional connectivity", organized in
March of this year on the initiative of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev,
determined prospects of establishing peace in Afghanistan and its sustainable
development.

It should be noted that two neighboring states are proposing to
implement another strategic project. This project is on extending the railway
to Herat – Khayraton – Mazar-i Sharif, built by Uzbekistan’s specialists and
contributing to the increase of transit potential of Afghanistan. After
implementation of such a large-scale creative work in the neighboring state,
the demand for specialists in the sphere will increase.

Luxurious multi-story educational building, comfortable accommodation,
an information and resource center, sports hall and playgrounds, dining room
are at the disposal of Afghan students. Language centers and laboratories of
the center are equipped for comprehensively learning chemistry and physics, the
railway transport system. There are also centers of household, trade services.

The Information and Resource Center has necessary educational literature
on technical and economic and socio-humanitarian areas, art and socio-political
literature, more than 50 feature and documentary films, audio CDs created by
Uzbek filmmakers. More than 700 electronic books in Latin alphabet have been
added to the electronic library system.

Currently, 96 Afghan youth are deeply studying the Uzbek language and
literature in the educational institution.

Participants of the event got acquainted with opportunities and
conditions created for students. A concert program gave a festive mood to
everyone.

On May 5-6, 2018, a delegation of
the Republic of Uzbekistan led by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdujabar
Abduvakhitov took part in the 45th session of the Council of Ministers of
Foreign Affairs of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Dhaka,
Bangladesh.

The session was attended by delegations of OIC member countries, heads
of a number of international organizations and financial institutions.

By tradition, the meeting began with a brief ceremony of transferring
the chairmanship of the OIC Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs from Côte
d'Ivoire to Bangladesh. As stated, Bangladesh has chosen “Islamic values for
sustainable peace, solidarity and development” as its motto.

The heads of ministries of foreign affairs of the OIC member states
discussed current international and regional problems, prospects for further
development of multilateral cooperation in political, trade, economic,
cultural, humanitarian and other spheres, considered issues of the OIC
activity.

In the speech of the Uzbek delegation it was noted that the Republic of
Uzbekistan is taking practical steps to contribute to the development of
Islamic civilization. In particular, construction of the complex of buildings
of Imam Bukhari International Research Center in Samarkand is being completed,
active work has begun at the ISESCO Special Department at Tashkent Islamic
University.

Participants of the session became acquainted with constructive ideas
and initiatives on development of science, technology and innovations forwarded
by the Head of our state at the first OIC Summit on Science and Technology in
September 2017 in Astana. Their attention was drawn to the proposal on holding
the second Summit in 2020 in Uzbekistan.

On the initiative of the Uzbek delegation, the 45th session of the
Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of OIC adopted resolutions “On holding
the second OIC Summit on Science and Technology in 2020 in Uzbekistan”, “On
establishment of the Center for Islamic Civilization in Tashkent”, “On
establishment of the International Islamic Center for Young Scientists in
Uzbekistan”.

In addition, in the relevant resolutions of the CMFA session, the
importance and relevance of the International High-Level Conference on
Afghanistan "Peace process, security cooperation and regional
connectivity", held in Tashkent on March 26-27, 2018 was noted.

Uzbekistan appointed a new Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

According to the press service of the Uzbek Foreign Ministry, Ulugbek
Maksudov has been appointed as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
of Uzbekistan to Saudi Arabia. On 6 May 2018, Ulugbek Maksudov left for the
city of Riyadh.

Prior to this appointment, he worked as the head of the department of
the Office for Cooperation with Middle and Near East countries of the Foreign
Ministry of Uzbekistan, and earlier - Consul General of the Republic of
Uzbekistan in Jiddah (Saudi Arabia).

On May 7, 2018, a delegation of the
Republic of Lithuania led by Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Antanas
Linkevičius arrived in Tashkent.

The program of the visit includes meetings and negotiations at the
Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan, the ministries of foreign
affairs, foreign trade, agriculture, State Committee for Investments, as well
as participation in the round table discussion of representatives of business
circles of the two countries.

On May 9, 2018, a regular round of
Uzbekistan – Belgium inter-MFA political consultations will take place in
Brussels.

Within the framework of the event, the delegation of the Republic of
Uzbekistan led by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdujabar Abduvakhitov
will also take part in the seminar on “Central Asia and the EU through the
prism of international initiatives of Uzbekistan”, will hold presentations on
trade, economic, investment and tourism potential of Uzbekistan, meet and hold
negotiations with the leading economic structures.

Memory Square is one of the most beloved places of Tashkent dwellers and
guests of the capital. Any day, in any weather, people come here to remember
those who fell on the fronts of the Second World War, sacrificing their lives
for the happiness of the Motherland.

It is beautiful and clean at any
time of the year, but in the spring the magnificence of nature fills the soul
with a special charm. And in these May days, standing at the sacred square,
it’s hard not to admire the lush greenery of trees and grass, the rainbow of
flowers. But the eastern colonnades with pages of the Book of Remembrance and
the monument of the Grieving Mother at the Eternal Flame give thoughts a
different direction, bringing sorrow and bitterness. Everyone seems to
condescend to some kind of pacification and thoughts about the eternal,
thoughts of the Fatherland and the feat.

How can one not remember here, for
example, that out of the six million population of the republic in those stormy
years more than 1.5 million went to the front, and more than 500 thousand of
our compatriots did not return home? These figures do not fit in the head, they
“beat” directly into the heart, filling it with pain. After all, it was
someone’s fathers and sons, someone’s brothers and sisters, friends and loved
ones...

When you leaf through the gilded
pages of the Book of Remembrance, the feeling of bitterness becomes simply
all-encompassing. It would seem that only the name, initials, year of birth and
death - this book is so concise, but it ‘cuts’ the soul. After all, each name
entails a tragic frontal fate, someone’s military feat!

Having visited the Memory Square for
even a short time, breathing in even a little bit the air of this sacred place,
after reading some lines from the Book of Remembrance, you leave from here a
little different person. And one may want to learn more about the most terrible
war in the history of mankind, about the contribution of our compatriots to the
Great Victory.

In 1995, in connection with the 50th
anniversary of the Victory over fascism, 34 volumes of the Book of Remembrance
were published first among the CIS nations in our country. It included the
names of 431 thousand Uzbek soldiers killed at the fronts, in military
hospitals and German concentration camps, as well as missing persons.

Then came another, an additional
volume of the Book with the names of those who disappeared without a trace. It
is difficult to read this volume without a piercing pain in the heart. The
name, surname, year of birth and this wording that causes so many questions -
“missing”. I cannot imagine what the relatives experienced when receiving a
triangle letter with such words! After all, along with the understanding that
the trouble has come, there remained a hope that, apparently, did not die for
years.

Take, for example, Sodik Ahmedov who
disappeared in August 1941, at the very start of the war. Perhaps the first
fight of the twenty-year-old Andijan boy turned out to be the last, and his
body remained on the ground, permanently occupied by the enemy...

And Viktor Yegorov from Yangiyul was
missing in May 1945! How many days or even hours remained before the festive
salute! And where did this 22-year-old warrior from Uzbekistan find death?
Maybe at the walls of the Reichstag, a step away from the great Victory...

An inexorable war spared no one. You
get convinced in this by encountering women’s names in this volume. Aristan
Ahmedova from the Tashkent region disappeared in November 1942. Perhaps she was
dragging a wounded soldier off the battlefield when a ruthless fascist sniper
took her to fly his rifle...

Missing... How much tragedy and
mourn these words carry as secrets about a specific person... And they gave
their lives for the happiness of the Motherland!

The peculiarity of the Day of Memory
and Honor and the bright side of this holiday is in a sense of pride that is
there even decades after the end of the war, a feeling of admiration for the
power, for a great nation that did not let pass the “brown plague”.

As, for example, how can one not be
proud of our capital, whose contribution to the Victory is not measured by
numbers, it is simply huge?! Tashkent was not bombed by enemy vultures, it did
not repel tank attacks, nor did it have to endure a deadly blockade. But it can
be called, without any exaggeration, a hero city.

From here, thousands and thousands
of sons and daughters of Uzbekistan went to the front. There were women, old
people and children. But their labor heroism, their selflessness is akin to a
military feat. Trembling from the fierce cold or burning under the scorching
rays of the sun, denying themselves everything, suffering simply unthinkable
hardship, working on two shifts, they sent to the front the ever needed planes
and guns, food and clothing. The motto “Everything for the front, everything
for victory!” was realized at the cost of unparalleled courage, when people
literally fell asleep at the machine tools.

The nobility of the Uzbek people
during the war also became a legend. Tashkent sheltered thousands of families
from the cities destroyed by the fascists, and orphaned children were
surrounded by love in Uzbek families. In our capital, echelons with wounded
fighters were constant from the frontline, and many of them were second-born
thanks to Tashkent. Unfortunately, not all of them survived: in the capital’s
memorial complex “Brotherly Graves” you can study, without geography textbooks,
one-sixth of the Earth.

Tashkent became a haven for the
great figures of culture and arts. In the harshest military hard times, Aleksey
Tolstoy, Kornei Chukovsky, Arkady Raikin, Mark Bernes, Anna Akhmatova and many
others found shelter and warmth here. Great films, poems and songs were created
here, which ‘went’ into battle, because muses also fight.

Anna Akhmatova wrote from the
Tashkent apartment in 1942: “Probably, I remember on the fly, how Tashkent fell
asleep in bloom, all white flames enveloped, hot, fragrant, intricate.” Even
now you are surprised by these optimistic lines, full of color and smell. The
whole world was bleeding then, the outcome of the war was not at all clear, and
our city gave people the scarcest thing at that time – Hope.

The city of high poplars, turquoise
sky and a dazzlingly bright sun, the city of amazing inhabitants, ready to
share the last bread – our beautiful capital was perceived thus in those
thunderous years.